Key facts
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of weaponizing migration to destabilize Europe and weaken support for Ukraine.
- Sybiha stated that Russia's Black Sea blockade is part of a plan to drive migrants toward European borders.
- Moscow believes this strategy will create tension, sow division, strengthen radical anti-European movements, and weaken Europe's support for Ukraine.
- The comments follow recent electoral gains by anti-immigration parties in Germany and France.
- Sybiha accused Russia and Israel of fueling tensions during a migrant rush into Spain's Ceuta exclave.
- Russia also uses Belarus to smuggle migrants across the EU's northeastern borders, according to Sybiha.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 16 of weaponizing migration to destabilize European governments and undermine support for Ukraine ahead of key upcoming elections. Sybiha stated that Russia's strategy involves using migration flows to create tension and division, thereby strengthening radical anti-European movements and weakening the European bloc's backing for Kyiv.
According to Sybiha, the Black Sea blockade, which is disrupting Ukraine's maritime exports, is part of this plan. He believes that by choking off food supplies to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Russia aims to drive an influx of migrants toward European borders. This strategy, he commented on X, is intended to exploit migration as a sensitive and divisive issue in European election campaigns.
The comments come as anti-immigration parties have seen recent electoral successes. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured a historic win in a regional election on September 6, and France's far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen is a frontrunner for the French presidential race next year. In Spain, the anti-immigration Vox party polls third, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces pressure from the new far-right National Future movement.
Sybiha recalled that Russian-linked networks have previously exploited migration crises, referencing the recent rush of migrants from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta exclave. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously accused Russian and Israeli disinformation networks of fueling tensions during that event. Sybiha also added that Russia continues to use its ally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, to smuggle migrants across the EU's northeastern borders.
The escalation of hostilities in the Black Sea has contributed to a surge in global food prices, which were already rising since late February.